Title: Love at eye level
Gospel of John (6) Love at eye level (John 1:14)
<What is the incarnation? >
In addition, the incarnation is ‘the practice of the love of the cross’. The love of the cross is the love of agape. Agape love is an extreme altruistic love that tears itself into pieces and gives it away to others. Agape love is the new commandment given by the Lord and the fulfillment of the commandment. Romans 13:10 says, “Love is the fulfillment of the law.” Even if you don't know theology or complicated doctrines well, if you only know and practice the commandment of love, it is the same as knowing all the laws.
One day, a deacon was moved by the words of Philippians 2:17 and confessed to his wife. "Honey! I am very happy to be married to you, and there is no limit to dying like this.” If you hear that confession, your wife will be happy, and how happy the family will be. True love is basically ‘love without demands and just doing your best’. Likewise, when we practice the love of the incarnation with the attitude that there is no rest even if we die today, happiness does not move away from that person.
< Love at eye level >
There are important virtues in life that the love of the incarnation challenges. That is 'humility'. Life is like the moon. Be humble at the full moon. Soon it will be a new moon. On the other hand, don't lose courage when you are in the new moon. Because soon there will be a full moon. If you admit that you are a new moon, you will receive the blessing of the full moon soon, but if you claim that you are a full moon, you will soon be in the position of a new moon. After all, the essential virtue for blessing is humility.
Another important virtue that the love of the incarnation challenges is 'love at eye level'. There are two truths of Christianity. One is the ‘Word’ in John 1:1, and the other is the ‘Incarnation’ in the text. The ‘Word’ and the ‘Incarnation’ must coexist. In other words, if ‘communication with the Lord (realization of the truth)’ is achieved through the ‘Word’, ‘communication with neighbors (gracious sharing of incarnation)’ must also be achieved through ‘incarnation’.
The word is important, but the communication of the word is also important. The truth is true truth only when we put on the body, and spirituality is true spirituality only when we put on the body. The dualistic spirituality, which regards the spirit as good and the flesh as evil, flows into mysticism or asceticism, which destroys the soul. Jesus came in a body, was resurrected as a body, and the Holy Spirit is still in us with the body as a temple. The body is also important.
When you love, you can love deeply with your heart, but true love is when you give your body and your time to love. True spirituality is the spirituality of the incarnation that values the body and serves the body specifically. There is no other secret to a happy home and church. If you change your language and life into the language and life of the incarnation, you will be given happiness. There is no other secret to a happy soul. When you have the spirituality of the incarnation and try to give your ‘body’ to the person you love while meeting your eye level, you will be filled with happiness within yourself before happiness is delivered.